Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-07-30


This brilliant suggestion was, needless to
say, received with acclamation; and / in
stantly set to work TO buy suitable canoes
from the surrounding natives. / succeeded,
after delay of three days, in obtaining two
large ones, each followed out of a single log
Of some light wood, and capable of holding
six people and baggage. For these two canoes
we had to pay nearly all our remaining cloth,
and also many other articles.
On the day following our purchase of the
two canoes we effected start. In the first
canoe were Good, Sir Henry and three of our
Wakwafi followers; in the second myself,
Umslopogaas and the other two Wakwafis.
As our course lay up the stream, we had to
keep four paddles at work in each canoe,
which meant that the whole lot of US, except
Good, had to row away like galley slaves;
and very exhausting work it was. ! say ex-
cept for of course the moment that Good got
into boat his foot was on his native heath
and he took command of the party. And
certainly he worked us. On shore Good is a
gentle, mild hammered man, and given to jo-
costly; but, as we found to our cost, Good in
a boat was perfect demon. TO begin with,
he knew all about it. and we didn't. On all
nautical subjects, from the torpedo fittings OF
a man of war down to the best way OF
handling the paddle of an African canoe, he
was perfect mine of information, which, to
say the least of it, we were not. Also his
ideas of discipline were of the sternest, and,
in short, he came the royal naval officer over
us pretty considerably and paid us out amply
for all the chaff we were wont to treat him
to on land; but on the other hand, am
bound to say that he managed the boats ad-
mirably.
Three days after our start an ominous incl
dent occurred. We were just drawing in to
the bank to make our camp, as usual, for the
night, when we caught sight of a figure
standing on a little knoll not forty yards
away, and intently watching our approach.
One glance was Observation-Disclosures l was
personally unacquainted with the tribe-to
tell me that he was a Nasal Elmoran, or
young warrior Indeed, had l had any
doubts, they would have been quickly dis
PEELED by the terrified ejaculation of "Masail"
that burst simultaneously from the lips of
our Wakwaf followers, who are, as | think
] have said, themselves bastard Nasal.
And what figure he presented as he stood
there in his savage war gearl Accustomed
as have been to savages all my life, donot
quite so ferocious or awe inspiring To begin
with, the man was enormously tall, quite as
tall as Umslopogaas, should say, and beau
tifully, though somewhat slightly, shaped,
but with the face of a devil In his right
hand he held a spear about five and a half
feet long, the blade being two and half feet
in length by nearly three inches in width,
and having an iron spike at the end of the
handle that measured more than foot. On
his left arm was large and well made clip
tical shield of buffalo hide, on which were
painted strange, heraldic looking devices.
On his shoulders was huge cape of hawks
feathers, and round his neck was "naibere,"
or strip of cotton, about seventeen feet long
by one and half broad, with stripe Of
color running down the middle of it. The
tanned goat skin robe, which formed his
ordinary attire in times of peace, was tied
lightly round his waist so as to serve the
purposes of belt, and through it were stuck,
on the right and left sides respectively, his
short, pear shaped SINE, or sword, which is
made of a single piece of steel, and carried in
a wooden sheath, and an enormous knobker-
RE. But perhaps the most remarkable fea-
ture of his attire consisted of a headdress of
ostrich feathers, which was fixed on the chin,
and passed in front of the ears to the fore
head, and, being shaped like an ellipse, com
pletely framed the face, SO that the diabolical
countenance appeared to project from sort
of feather fire screen. Round the ankles he
wore black fringes Of hair, and projecting
from the upper portion of the calves, to which
they were attached, were long spurs like
spikes, from which flowed down tufts of the
beautiful black and waving hair of the Co
lobus monkey. Such was the elaborate ar
ray of the Nasal Elmoran who stood watch
ing the approach of our two canoes, but it is
one which, TO be appreciated, must be seem
only those who see it do not often live to de-
scribe it. or course, i could not make out
all these details of his full dress on the occa-
sion of this my first introduction, being, in
deed, amply taken up with the consideration
of the general effect, but | had plenty of
subsequent opportunities of becoming ac-
quainted with the items that went to make
it up.
While we were hesitating what to do the
Nasal warrior drew himself up in dignified
fashion, shook his spear at us, and turning,
vanished on the farther side of the slope.
"Hulloap hallooed Sir Henry from the
Other boat, tour friend the caravan leader
has been as good as his word, and set the
Nasal after us Do you think it will be safe
did not think it would be at all safe; bat.
Ga the other hand, we had no means of cook
Eng in the canoes, and nothing that we could
eat raw, so 1t was difficult to know what to
do At last Umslopogaas simpl.fied matters
by volunteering to go and reconnoiter, which
he did, creeping off into the bush like snake,
while we hung off in the stream waiting for
hun In half an hour he returned and told
mo tbot tbera was NOT n MaSai to be seen ANY,
where about, but that he had discovered a
spot where they had recently been encamped,
and that from various indications he judged
that they must have moved on an hour or so
before, the man we saw having, no doubt,
been left to report upon our movements.
Thereupon, we landed, and having posted
sentry, proceeded to cook and eat our even
ing meal This done, we took the situation
into our serious consideration. OF course, it
was possible that the apparition of the Nasal
L. 10 10 writ, tl,otf ,,